Romania: Tree painting protest in a Gorj County forest

Romanian visual artist Mihai Topescu, together with other artists and volunteers, painted hundreds of trees in Dumbrava Forest, Gorj County, as a sign of protest against illegal logging.

They used eco-friendly paint to color the over 600 trees, reports local news agency.

Around 30 volunteers participated in the project called Art Land “Gradina Paradisului” (Art Land “The Garden of Paradise”), between June 30 and July 3. They painted the trees in many colors, such as yellow, purple, blue, green, and red, turning the forest into a tourist attraction.

Mihai Topescu, the project’s initiator, said that coloring the trees was aimed at turning the forest into a space of meditation, reflection, and self-discovery. Moreover, it was also “some kind of manifesto against everything that happens with deforestation, an artistic manifesto.”